Search This Blog

Book Review: Irrevocable Acts

July 30, 2017 - Before I begin, let me mention that Jonnie Hyde is a member of the writing group I belong to, here in Vancouver, Wa. I took a stab at writing a novel about climate change awhile back; it wasn't very good, and subsequently went nowhere. Irrevocable Acts, on the other hand, is deserving of attention.

The beginning of Hyde's book is, perhaps, its only weak point: it's a bit confusing. All becomes clear as the book unfolds, and the characters are interesting, so there's no question of remaining involved. The characters hold your focus because they live their lives differently from most, yet the Sanders are a family, with three generations living under one roof: Anna, Kate, and Gracie. That family begins to unravel when the matriarch, Anna, decides she must embark, finally, on the life she was meant to live.

Anna, Danny Shepard, and Mac Caffrey have been friends most of their lives. Products of Berkeley at a time when the name Berkeley was believed to mean only one thing, they have drifted apart over the years, while at the same time making anguished attempts to remain a trio. An irrevocable act binds them, and its effects reverberate down to the present moment.

Anna initiates yet another such attempt at healing. Danny and Mac answer her call, and follow her to an isolated location. During the ensuing days, they gradually make their way through a tangle of memories, with an occasional detour into the unknown. Anna's love affair with Mac's younger brother Erin makes its way into the conversation. Finally, their complicity in his death can no longer be avoided. Accusations surface, and truths are told. It's all too much for any one of them, so they decide to face it together.

Having at last made their way to a good place, Anna then asks her mates if they are ready to risk it all.
With the help of Danny's mentor, rancher-cum-gun runner Jackson, he and Anna forge new identities for themselves, even as they join their lives together. The willingness to burn bridges in this book is breathtaking and, I believe, a true assessment of the sacrifices the current situation demands. Mac takes on a new role, filling a vacancy left by his intrepid friend, Anna.

I highly recommend this fearless, truthful book. It's available at Amazon.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Friends - Today - January 18 - is the day to take action against PIPA/SOPA, two bills being introduced in both houses of Congress that will legalize internet censorship. Go
to senate.gov and house.gov and make your opposition known. Thank you!

March 20, 2017 - Happy Spring, everybody. Today's post will be brief: the ten-year average for number of wildfires during January through mid-March is 8,687 fires that burned 216,894 acres per year in the United States. This year there have been 10,829 fires during that period, burning 2,062,012 acres. You read that right.

April 2, 2017 - The following was sent to me by Credo by email today. Please read and take action:
Stunning new documents unsealed by a federal judge suggest that Monsanto worked directly with federal regulators to hide the health risks of and manipulate the science behind its best-selling herbicide, RoundUp.
The documents reveal that Monsanto pressured Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials to not
publicly release information on the cancer risks of glyphosate, the main ingredient in RoundUp, ghost-
wrote research for the EPA and worked with a senior official at the agency to quash a federal review of
the chemical. These documents suggest an unprecedented level of collusion between the EPA and Monsanto to cover up evidence that RoundUp is a likely carcinogen. The Office of Inspector General of the
EPA, an independent office tasked with investigating fraud and abuse in the agency, must immediately
launch an investigation to hold Monsanto and all EPA employees involved accounta…